What it means to be a man

[Jaqen Hghar]

This is gonna be a weird question, but I got a reason for asking.

Now, we all know that we guys have one huge advantage over the fairer sex. We can pee standing up. This fact seems to be very important for a lot of guys, and it seems you must do this to even be considered a man. Throughout media you can always identify a man by the fact that he pee standing up. Numerous movies where some bloke is masquerading as a female has him being caught because he does this. And several shows and movies speak of men sitting down to pee as something bad.

Here comes my question: Do you have to stand and pee to be considered a man?

You see, I cannot do that. I broke my back in 2006. Even though I can walk and function like every other guy, I have found out that I am unable to control certain things as well as before. If I where to stand and pee I would have to find a mop. If I am outdoors that isn't an issue, but I am rarely outdoors. So I have to sit to pee now. Would people see me as a lesser man for that? Does anyone sit instead just because it is more comfortable? Hey, standing up is easy (or, was easy), but it sure is comfortable to sit.

Anyway. I know it is a weird question, and probably not that relevant. But I would like to see what you guys and gals think.

 

[I am Jack's smirking revenge]

Guys that pee standing up usually just get piss everywhere...I think it's more manly to sit down personally.

 

[El Poncho]

I like to pee standing up but when I think I need the other one and i'm sitting and pee comes out I try not to make alot of sound because then I will seem wierd peeing sitting down.

 

[Smudge91]

To be honest its not like i go and watch a man having a pee so whether he sits or stands is fine by me and how he pees doesn't make him any less of a man.

 

[Bat Vader]

I like to sit down when I pee but that is just me.

I think what defines a man is his morals.

 

[Scrambles the Death-Dealer]

Sitting to pee wouldn't make you not a man, in my opinion. I don't really see the big dealio with it though o.o It's only urinating, who cares if you sit down to do so, it still happens.

 

[Emilin_Rose]

... who cares how someone pees? honestly? i see no reason to worry about peeing sitting down or standing up.

 

[NewGeekPhilosopher]

There's more to it than that, first of all you have to be considered not a homosexual (which on the internet is vaguely defined/increasingly offensive to straight people who do things that get them lumped in this group without even being attracted to the same gender), you have to not be fat (which is often hypocritical), not earn less money than your wife, and for some reason you have to be a fan of your national sports because if you aren't you aren't considered a man.

The above measures of manliness are ridiculous, and are no help to any man at any point in history. Because being a man is so loosely defined, peeing standing up or sitting down is but one facet of it.

Oh, and I pee standing up but I'm STILL not considered a man by many people's standards. Just look at my avatar for example.

 

[The_Healer]

Hmmm standing up all the way for me... the urinals mark the superiority of men over women in the bathroom.

However I feel sorry for you and your condition... and although I don't completely understand it, I am sure that you could regain control over those muscles if you put time into it.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

Seriously, standing up pee'ing? Would Al Bundy ever decline to sit atop his throne in the bathroom whilst reading a skinmag? I think not.

Real men does not stand above the bathroom throne looking like an idiot. Real men sit down on it and becomes perturbed by existential questions while doing their natural business, unless their mind isn't deeply engaged with the contents of some of the bathroom reading material that is.

Standing up peeing is something only little boys consider to be "manly"...

 

[Simalacrum]

eh, pissing it all down to personal preferance, it doesn't matter either way. Manliness is defined by a mans morals and personality.

 

[Nickolai77]

Real men sit down on it and becomes perturbed by existential questions while doing their natural business

Funny you say that, does that mean i'm not the only one who does philosophy whilst on the toilet? XD

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

Interesting answers. Seems most people don't care that much. Wonder why I had the feeling that it is a lot more manly to stand? I blame the media.

However I feel sorry for you and your condition... and although I don't completely understand it, I am sure that you could regain control over those muscles if you put time into it.

I don't see a reason to really. It's not like I have to run to the bathroom all of a sudden. It's just that I cannot aim anymore. It just... goes everywhere. Not sure what the problem is myself really. It's just weird.

Seriously, standing up pee'ing? Would Al Bundy ever decline to sit atop his throne in the bathroom whilst reading a skinmag? I think not.

Real men does not stand above the bathroom throne looking like an idiot. Real men sit down on it and becomes perturbed by existential questions while doing their natural business, unless their mind isn't deeply engaged with the contents of some of the bathroom reading material that is.

Standing up peeing is something only little boys consider to be "manly"...

True. This is exactly how I feel about it.

There's more to it than that, first of all you have to be considered not a homosexual (which on the internet is vaguely defined/increasingly offensive to straight people who do things that get them lumped in this group without even being attracted to the same gender), you have to not be fat (which is often hypocritical), not earn less money than your wife, and for some reason you have to be a fan of your national sports because if you aren't you aren't considered a man.

Hmm. If I were to follow that, and you are right in it being ridiculous, I would not be a man. I am not homosexual (not that there is anything wrong with that!) and I am skinny. So good enough there. Then it all goes downhill. I don't have a job, but my girlfriend just got one. And I hate sports. So peeing standing up shouldn't concern me much, since I am obviously not a man anyway

 

[Fritzvalt]

Typically, if another man is so concerned with your urination position then his man card is in jeopardy as it is.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

Funny you say that, does that mean i'm not the only one who does philosophy whilst on the toilet? XD

Of course not! They even did an episode of Scrubs about this where the janitor had installed a toilet seat on the roof of the hospital.

Most people do philosophy while sittin down taking a shit/piss. Which in itself is pretty funny. The only real moments where humans think about existential questions is when they are squirting urine or dumping feces. Perhaps it is the very act itself that puts certain things in perspective? XD

 

[riskroWe]

Standing up is so much quicker...

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

Just to put an end to every possible train of thought about what makes you a man, im going to do every reader a favour and post the only true answer. Here it comes! (brace yourselves):

*drumroll*.......

Being a man, means having a dick and not really consider it a bad thing.

That's really all there is to it folks. It's simple, clear cut and true. All this other bullshit about being a man means slaving away at work every day or having the bigger penis or satisfying every woman you sleep with (which no man has ever done throughout entire history), or being better at sports etc. etc.

It's all just a form of harmful cultural idealism. It's not meant to make men feel good about themselves nor make them into better people, but rather make them toil in whatever they do. Basically shame mechanisms to keep you being as effective worker ants as possible until the day you die.

But it will all bottle down to one question: Are you YOUR OWN man or a worker ant shamed into obedience?

 

[The_Healer]

Standing up is so much quicker...

I think this is the ultimate answer to why we do it.
Why else would they have invented the fly (zipper) on the front of our pants?
BECAUSE ITS QUICKER TO STAND UP THAN SIT DOWN.
and just to be cliche.... time is money.

 

[asinann]

The only thing you need to be considered a man is sexual maturity and a Y chromosome.

 

[RavingLibDem]

haha, it depends where I am, if I'm at someone else's flat, especially a girls, I tend to pee sitting down, cause it saves on the whole 'you left the seat up you cretin' discussion, but in my flat since we're all guys, standing up FTW lol